Right Place, Right Time
by stormy-xxl
Summary: When a group of teenagers are molesting a girl, Sara is at the right place at the right time. Unfortunately for Sara the incident causes trouble for her and Catherine.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey guys! After a lovley holiday in Australia I'm finally back with a new story :-) There are going to be four parts. I hope you'll enjoy it!_

_Summary: When a group of teenagers __are molesting a girl, Sara is at the right place at the right time. Unfortunately for Sara the incident causes trouble for her and Catherine._

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**Right Place, Right Time**

**Chapter 1**

Sara Sidle was driving through the afternoon heat of Las Vegas, the Mecca of gamblers. She was finally on her way home where her comfortable bed was waiting for her - and for once she was really glad to leave work behind.

She had been working solo at a crime scene, a murder out in the desert. Processing the scene hadn't taken her too long. She had only come up with three bags of evidence. But the case was open and closed anyway. When she had arrived at the scene the shooter was already in police custody and so proud of what he had done that he didn't even think of denying anything.

There were two reasons why it had taken her so long to finally get back home. The first one was her supervisor Gil Grissom. He had given her the assignment just before the end of her regular shift. Always the workaholic she was happy to take it. The second reason - something that Grissom forgot to mention - was that it was a three hour drive to the crime scene.

Being out there in the heat all day had worn her out - enough to just drop the evidence at the lab without processing it. Something she normally never did. But today she didn't trust her herself anymore - and the last thing she wanted was to screw up evidence. So since there was no urgency she decided to process everything during her next shift- tonight. Right now she was only looking forward to her bed. Fifteen more minutes and she would be in the safety of her apartment.

She had just turned around another corner, when her eyes fell on a group of teenagers standing on the sidewalk. Five young men were standing in a circle, obviously watching something inside, something which was blocked from her view at the moment. Out of curiosity Sara slowed down a bit and drove further down the road. When she saw what was happening she stopped her car immediately.

There was a girl inside the circle of bodies and judging by her desperate attempts to break free Sara had the feeling that she wasn't there voluntarily. Without hesitation Sara got out of her car and headed for the teenagers. On her way she tried to assess the situation. She was never a fan of guns, but right now she would have felt a lot better if she still had been carrying hers. From the looks of it, these boys were not impressed by words... She hesitated. What could she do against them?

Suddenly the picture of Greg beaten half to death in that alley popped up in her mind. It was a good example of what teenagers were capable of. She couldn't allow this situation to get out of hand like that. God only knew what they were planning to do to that girl. The thought that she could end up just like Greg never occurred to her when she started moving towards the group again. She had to help the girl.

Sara was almost beside them when the girl started another attempt to break free. Again she had no chance. One of the boys gripped her from behind and held her closely against him, making it almost impossible for her to struggle. The other boys were laughing.

The CSI cursed. She had to do something to stop this. But what? Sure, she was trained in weaponless defence, but would that really help her against five well built wanna-be-gangsters? Maybe she could intimidate them with the right few words ... hopefully

"Hey, what's going on here?!" Sara demanded in a loud voice, still a few feet away from the group. Immediately six heads turned to her. The surprise of the interruption turned to anger in seconds - at least on five faces. Sara had her first chance to take a closer look at the girl. "Shit!" She muttered. This wasn't just any girl - this was Lindsey Willows, daughter of her co-worker Catherine. That made things a lot more delicate. She locked eyes with Lindsey and it was obvious that the little blonde also recognized her. For a short moment there was a smile of relief on Lindsey's face, but it vanished when the boy who held her tightened his grip.

One of the boys finally voiced his complaint about Sara's interruption. In a tone which was probably supposed to sound scary he demanded. "What the hell do you want?" It was the guy who held Lindsey, he was, from the looks of it, the 'leader'.

Sara put on her poker face which was normally reserved for interrogations. She knew that the last thing she should do right now was show any kind of weakness or fear. This was going to be a battle of wits. She straightened up, her voice clear and hard as she spoke. "How about to inform you that this..." She gestured to Lindsey. "...is no way to treat a lady."

Another guy replied. "I don't think that's any of your business." He grinned at her and then added. "Don't worry! We are all just fine here."

Sara raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Really? Because I think you need to learn what 'no' means." She took another step towards the group.

The boy who held Lindsey automatically took a step back, pulling the girl with him. "We are fine here, Lady. Don't stick your nose in things which aren't your business. Or..." He trailed off in order to sound more threatening. His eyes were boring into Sara, but the brunette had no intention of backing off. Even if he tried to sound scary, he didn't quite succeed. So instead of leaving she took another step towards them.

"Or what?" She glared at the guy holding Lindsey. Then she averted her eyes to the girl. "Come on, I'll take you home."

Lindsey nodded shakily and tried to take a step in Sara's direction. The fear was evident in her eyes. Unfortunately her captor wasn't giving up that easily. He grabbed her arm and yanked her back violently. The girl let out a shriek. The boy glared at Sara. "She's here because she wants to be here. Isn't that right, Linds?" Lindsey was shaking with fear by now.

Sara was fuming. That damn little bastard! He was going to pay for this. Throwing all her caution out of the window she launched forward, ready to shake some sense into the boy. Unfortunately one of his friends was faster. Before she knew it all the air had left her lungs and she had come to an abrupt stop when a fist connected with her stomach. Sara groaned.

Then she heard Lindsey scream. Suddenly her survival instincts and her self defence training kicked in. In a matter of seconds, while the boys were still laughing, her knee was in her attacker's groin. She put all her strength in the kick and it had the desire effect. The boy went down on his knees, moaning in pain. One down - four left. Maybe luck would be on her side.

The laughing had stopped. Sara wondered briefly what Grissom would say about this. She could practically hear his lecture. But this was pure self defence - there was nothing he could do about it – at least not in the form of disciplinary action.

Suddenly Sara ran out of luck. The next punch came fast and left her no chance to avoid it. The fist hit her square across the face. The dizziness set in immediately and she lost her balance, falling to the ground hard. She heard Lindsey scream again, but it seemed to be from far away.

Sara clenched her teeth. She had to get up again - for Lindsey! She shook her head to get rid off the dizziness. From the corner of her eye she saw the one teenager she had kicked still on the ground. But she also saw one of the others moving towards her. As fast as she could she crawled to the wall and leaned against it - one less side of her body that could be hit. But there were still too many left...

She lifted her hands up to her face to protect her head from the next blow. Strangely the blow didn't come. She looked up to see that the boys had stopped moving and where listening to something. But to what? Then she heard it too. In the distance the way too familiar sound of the police siren could be heard. The chances that the car would drive down this road were very small, but maybe she could trick them. It was her only choice.

"Finally." Sara said. "About time they showed up." The teenagers looked at her. She let out a dry laugh. "Do you really think I would be stupid enough to confront you without back up?" Satisfied she watched them become worried. "I'll make sure you get the right treatment, while in custody. You know cops, they are never happy if one of their own is attacked..." The brunette let her words sink in. The sirens were now a lot closer. The boys looked at her shocked.

After a few more seconds in which Sara silently prayed that they would take the bait one of the teenagers came finally back to his senses. "Fuck! She's a cop. We are so screwed!" Then another one spoke up. "Let's get the hell out of here! NOW!" They all agreed on that statement. The boy who had gripped Lindsey let go of her and they all started to run like mad to a nearby alley, where they finally vanished.

"Thank God." Sara said, still sitting on the ground with her back against the wall. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. That was close. The sirens were still getting closer. Tonight she would find out who the drivers of that patrol car were and personally thank them. Sobbing beside her made her finally open her eyes again. She carefully turned her head. Right beside her sat Lindsey Willows, her knees drawn up to her chest, arms tightly hugged around herself, crying. Sara's heart broke at the sight. "Linds?" The girl didn't look up.

Great, Sara thought. What was she supposed to do now? She had no idea how to take care of a child - especially not when the child was crying and scared. She sighed. _Stop being shy and comfort the poor girl_, Sara told herself. She wanted to put an arm around Lindsey shoulders and sat up straighter. Immediately pain shot through her body and her head started to throb. That wasn't good ... Carefully she examined her face. At least there seemed to be nothing broken. But she could already feel her left eye swelling and there was blood, probably from her nose. She tried to ignore the pain and concentrate on Lindsey instead.

She gritted her teeth and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. When she didn't meet any resistance she pulled her closer to her. Before Sara knew it she had a teenager clinging to her, sobbing hard. Soon she could feel the tears through her shirt. The brunette sighed. She felt so helpless. She tightened her hold around Lindsey and used her other hand to stroke the girl's hair. "It's over Lindsey. It's over. They are gone. You're safe now." She kept doing that for a few minutes, occasionally glancing at the alley where those bullies had vanished. The last thing she needed was them coming back and realizing that there were no police here at all.

After a little while Lindsey had calmed down. Her sobs were now just sniffles. The girl carefully freed herself from Sara's embrace, yet not completely breaking the connection. She was looking at the dirty ground in front of her when she finally spoke. "Thanks."

Sara smiled. "You're welcome." She gave Lindsey's hand a soft squeeze, which caused the girl to look up to her saviour. The blonde girl tried to smile, but the smile immediately faded when she saw Sara's face. "Oh God, you need a doctor." She carefully touched the side of Sara's face, new tears forming in her eyes. Sara smiled at her reassuringly and shook her head. "Don't worry, Linds. I've been hit harder in my life. I'm going to be fine. It's nothing serious." Ignoring the throbbing pain in her cheek she tried to give the girl another smile. She could only hope that it looked more convincing than it felt. To her relief it did, because after a few seconds Lindsey smiled back at her.

"I guess we should get up..." With that Sara tried to get back on her feet - not very successfully. She still felt a bit dizzy and her stomach hurt. She could practically feel the bruises forming. Before she lost her balance again Lindsey was up and helped her stand. "You sure you're okay?" The blonde asked concerned.

Sara nodded slowly. "I'll be fine. I just need a moment." She took a few deep breaths to clear her head. After a few more seconds she nodded to Lindsey. "Let's go to my car before those bastards come back." The blonde eagerly agreed to the suggestion. They walked back to Sara's car and got inside.

Sara started to rummage through the glove department, looking for her cell phone, when Lindsey spoke up. "That police car wasn't coming to save us, was it?"

"Nope, but it had the right timing."

Lindsey nodded, obviously still a bit shaken by the latest events.

"Here we go." Sara had finally found her cell phone and held it up triumphantly. "But now we're gonna call them. I don't want those jerks to get away with it." She was about to dial when Lindsey snatched the phone from her hand. "No, you can't call the police!" Sara looked at her puzzled. What was going on now? "Lindsey?"

The blonde was busy stuffing Sara's cell phone back in the glove compartment of the car. When she was satisfied that it was well out of reach from the woman beside her she turned. "I ... I ... I think they are not worth the trouble. And all that paper work mum is always complaining about..."

Sara raised an eyebrow. Paperwork? Lindsey was worried about paperwork? She might have just gotten a blow to the head, but she was not confused enough to believe that lie. Sara knew from her daily work that a lot of victims reacted like that. They were scared, scared that the culprits would take vengeance later. "Look, Lindsey, I know that you are scared, but that has to be done. They were about to hurt you and they definitely hurt me. That's a crime Lindsey, and they deserve to be punished for it."

Again Lindsey shook vehemently her head. "No! Trust me! They ... they are not worth calling the police. You scared them. They think you are a cop. They won't bother you or me again."

Sara studied her for a moment. The blonde girl was scared - that much was clear. So what was she supposed to do now? The CSI in her screamed loudly to call the police. It was her responsibility. Catherine would do God knows what with her when she found out that she had let her daughter's attackers walk free - especially after what had happened after Eddie's death.

But the puppy dog eyes with which Lindsey looked at her made her hesitate. Maybe there was another way... After a few seconds, Sara had an idea. It would probably get her into trouble, but she guessed this was not her decision to make. Lindsey was Catherine's daughter. That meant she should decide whether to press charges or not. But the brunette had the feeling that the girl wouldn't be too thrilled about this option either.

"Alright, but if we don't call the police, we have to go straight to your mother."

If possible Lindsey looked even more scared now. "No! No, Sara! We can't do that. She will kill me!!!!"

Sara shook her head. "No, Linds. She won't. She will hug you and kiss you and thank God that you are okay." Then she added with a small smile. "The only ones she would want to kill are those boys." _And maybe me for not calling the police right away_, Sara added as an afterthought.

When Lindsey continued shaking her head no Sara sighed. "Okay, listen, Lindsey. I don't know why you are so scared of your mum, but you have two options. The first one is I take you home and you tell your mum what has happened and try to convince her not to go to the police. The second one is that we call the police right now. Since you are a minor they will call your mum. As you see, Catherine will get involved in this anyway. And you are not going to talk me out of this, so make your choice." Sara knew that she was hard on the girl, but there was no way she would take the blame for yet another crime committed against the Willows family where the culprit would walk free.

Lindsey glared at her, not happy about the two options she had been given. When Sara simply returned her glare, she knew she had lost. She sighed dramatically. "Fine. Then we go to mum..."

Sara nodded, pleased with the answer.

"But can we grab a coke before we go home? Maybe at the park?" Lindsey put on her best pleading face.

Sara eyed her carefully. Was she still shaken from the incident and wanted to get herself back together or did she just want to postpone the inevitable? Finally she shrugged. To be honest she wasn't that keen on seeing Catherine herself, but she knew it was the right thing to do - and Catherine Willows being mad at her wasn't really something new either. "Fine. The park it is." With that she started the car.

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_A/N: Any comments????_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you so much for all those reviews!!!!! I love you all!!!! :-) __Here's chapter two. I'm in a hurry right now, so I just wish you happy reading! ENJOY!_

_~Stormy_

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**Chapter 2**

"So, who were those guys?" Sara asked as casual as possible.

They were sitting on a little stone wall in one of the cities parks, equipped with two cokes and a bag filled with ice for Sara's face.

Lindsey took a sip from her drink and turned to Sara. "What makes you think I know them?" She asked innocently.

The brunette raised an eyebrow, immediately stopping the movement when a flash of pain shot through her face. Damn bruise. If her face looked as bad as she felt she was probably quite an attraction around here. But Lindsey still deserved an answer. "First of all, I'm a CSI and second – no offense, Linds – you are a horrible liar."

Lindsey sighed defeated. Sara smiled inwardly. She hadn't expected her to give in so quickly, but she certainly preferred it to a long discussion. When the girl kept silent Sara urged her on. "So?"

Lindsey took another sip from her coke before finally answering. "They are from my school…"

Sara nodded. "Is that why you didn't want to call the police? Because you'll see them again there and are afraid of the consequences?"

The girl turned away and just shrugged. Jackpot, Sara thought. Suddenly another thought popped in her head. "They didn't … hurt you, did they?" Until now the brunette had assumed that she interrupted them in time, but what if she was wrong?

To her relief Lindsey shook her head. "No, they didn't." Then she added with a smile. "I guess you were just in time."

Sara nodded and returned the smile, but she still couldn't get rid off the feeling that she should have called the police immediately. What would Catherine say? She would probably freak out and yell at her for not doing it. And maybe she deserved that. She had no idea. Right now the only thing she knew was that coming here had been good for the girl. The colour had returned to Lindsey's face and she was smiling again. Sara decided that that alone made any yelling from Catherine worth it.

"Sara?" Lindsey had switched to that sugar sweet voice of hers. Sara knew by now that meant that she wanted something. "Yeah?"

There was a pause before Lindsey answered. "Do we have to tell mum?"

Sara sighed. Why did she see that coming? "Lindsey, I told you before that your mum won't be angry at you. She'll be glad that you are okay." If she knew one thing it was that Catherine loved her daughter above everything else. If was going to be angry with someone then it would be Sara and not Lindsey.

The girl shook her head. "No, she won't."

"Why would you say that? You mum adores you." Sara really had no idea why Lindsey was so scared. When she didn't answer and avoided Sara's eyes the brunette knew that there was some part of the puzzle missing – a part Lindsey forgot to mention. Her CSI training kicked in. "Do you want to tell me something, Linds?" The tone of her voice didn't leave room for a 'no'.

Lindsey again sighed dramatically before finally answering. "It's just … as I've already told you those boys were from my school." She hesitated before going on. "And they are actually cool."

Sara couldn't believe her ears. Cool!?!? "Cool? Hello?! Do you think that whatever they would have done to you if I hadn't shown up would be cool? Or is my black eye cool? I don't think so." She was angry. How could Lindsey say something so stupid? Those jerks were miles away from being 'cool', 'hip' or whatever teenagers said nowadays.

Lindsey casted her eyes downwards, falling into silence.

Sara sighed. Great, now she had scared Lindsey even more by getting angry at her. _Great job_, Sidle! And here she had the evidence that she just wasn't good with kids. "I'm sorry, Lindsey. I didn't mean to get loud. I asked you and I really want to hear your story."

That caused the blonde to look up to her, her eyes wide with surprise.

Sara frowned. "What did I do wrong now?"

Lindsey chuckled. "Nothing. I guess you just surprised me. When I have an argument with mum and she starts shouting all she does afterwards is send me to my room and ground me. She never waits to hear my version of a story."

Now it was Sara's turn to look surprised. Catherine? Catherine Willows? That didn't sound like her co-worker at all. But before she managed to ask any questions Lindsey continued with her story. "As I said before, they are cool – at least that's what everyone says. They are the most popular guys at the school. Sure, they have a bit of a gangster reputation, but when you are their friend then you are … untouchable."

Sara frowned at Lindsey's choice of words, but decided not to interrupt her.

"And … I don't know. Everything is so complicated at the moment. I don't really get along with a lot of people. I'm not that good at school anymore… It's not that I don't care, I just can't concentrate anymore."

Sara nodded. Again she didn't say anything. To her it seemed like Lindsey needed to get a few things of her chest.

"But mum just says that I'm lazy and that it's all my fault. And do you know what the worst is? Even after all those years, there are still some guys who pick on me because of dad's death … or better his lifestyle."

That part fell like another punch straight to Sara's gut.

"And I just thought that if those guys – I repeat those very very popular guys – would accept me as a friend then no one would bother me anymore."

Sara swallowed hard. She knew what Lindsey was talking about. She knew what it meant when you got bullied because of your family at school. And she knew what it was like when no one was listening, but she had never thought Catherine would be like that. But of course she believed the girl. It seemed there was a real communication problem in the Willows household. But there wasn't much she could do about that, was there?

One question still remained for Sara. Even if Catherine wasn't always listening to her daughter, why would she be mad at her for escaping harm? "I understand, Linds. Thanks for telling me, but I still don't get why your mum would be mad at you…"

Lindsey started to chew on her straw, which Sara saw as a sign of nervousness. There was still some information the girl hadn't released yet. After a long silence Lindsey finally answered. "'Cause she forbade me to see them." Her answer as very quiet and nothing more but a whisper, but Sara heard every word.

"What?!" Sara couldn't believe it. She thought Lindsey was smarter than that. Obviously Catherine had seen that those boys were bad news and didn't want them to get her daughter into trouble. A logical reaction for every caring mother, Sara figured. And looking at today's events her fears were justified.

"She has no right to control who I can meet and who not! And the worst thing is she didn't even know them. She had never spoken to them. Just from the clothes they were wearing and their age she decided that I can't hang out with them. That's not fair!"

Sara shook her head slowly, as to not increase the throbbing in her head. Maybe it was time to back Catherine up. "Fair? Life isn't fair, Lindsey. But you know what? I can understand your mother on this one."

Lindsey wanted to protest, but Sara held her hand up to stop her. "Let me finish. In our line of work you often have to rely on your first impression, your instinct. Most of the time that's all we got and over the years you learn to read people. Do you want me to tell you what I thought when I first saw your 'friends'? Just one word: trouble. I bet your mother thought the same." She paused to let her words sink in.

"Do you know when we meet guys like that most of the time? When there is a shootout between two rival gangs and there is always at least one of them dead afterwards. Your Mum might not always make the best decision in your opinion, maybe she's not always right, but you have to admit that she was right about them…If I hadn't turned up this could have ended badly. So please do me the favour to stay the hell away from these guys, especially when you can talk your mum out of calling the police." Somehow Sara was stunned by her own words. Did she just say that? It didn't sound too bad – even if Lindsey might not like the content of her speech.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their cokes. Sara thought it was best to let the girl absorb everything she said and hopefully on her own discover the truth behind those words.

Then out of the blue, Lindsey asked a question. "How do you talk to someone who's not listening?"

Sara looked at her puzzled. Where did that come from? Did that mean that she had accepted Sara's words and was now … moving on to something else? Unfortunately the 'something else' wasn't exactly the brunette's speciality. "You don't really want any advice for your relationship with your mother from ME, do you?"

Lindsey looked at her confused. "Yes?"

Sara closed her eyes for a moment. Why was her head suddenly hurting twice as much as before? "The right answer is 'No!'." How was she going to explain that? "Lindsey, I'm Sara Sidle, workaholic without a social life. You can ask your mother or anyone else for that matter: I'm awful with all that social stuff. I just don't have people skills. I can also tell you that I always manage to screw my relationships up. So please never ask me for advice on YOUR relationships, Honey."

Instead of understanding, Sara was met with those blue puppy dog eyes again. She cursed silently. Great! Why did Lindsey have to do that? If Greg tried this on her she could always say 'no', but right now she didn't have the heart to turn the girl down. Damn! She sighed again. "Okay, but when this totally backfires don't blame me! I warned you!"

Lindsey nodded quickly and before she knew it Sara had earned herself a big hug from the girl beside her. "You are great." The action took Sara's breath away – literally. A wave of pain shot through her body – obviously she had a few more bruises from where she hit the ground earlier. She fought back the moan that threatened to escape her throat. There was no way she would let Lindsey know about her discomfort.

When Lindsey's words finally registered in Sara's mind the pain was almost forgotten and she couldn't help but blush at the statement. She just wasn't used to compliments from anyone. She took another sip from her coke, before carefully lying down on the small stone wall they were sitting on. She placed the ice back on her face before addressing Lindsey again. "Before I can give you any advice you'll have to give me all the details. If I have the facts then I can analyze them and maybe – MAYBE – come up with some solution…"

Lindsey studied Sara for a moment. Should she really bother her with that? The brunette had saved her life today – or at least her dignity – and she got hurt in the process. She hadn't called the police and she would have to deal with her mother once she drove her home. And instead of appreciating what Sara had done for her, she was about to load even more weight on her shoulders. Right now she felt bad for even asking.

Sara sensed what the girl was thinking about and interrupted her train of thought. "Look, Lindsey, it's okay. Sorry, for freaking out. How about you just tell me what exactly the problem is and then we'll see if I can help you out or not. Talking about problems does help." Sara certainly didn't believe in the last part – at least not when it came to her own problems. But that was what people always said, wasn't it?

At least it seemed like her words were accepted by Lindsey, who was smiling down at her. Then she began talking.

"I miss my mum. She's working so much lately and I hardly see her anymore. And when I see her we are arguing most of the time. One of our most favourite topics is my grades. She always just says that I'm lazy. But I'm not! I just have a real hard time concentrating lately. And on top of that she forbids me from everything. She forbids all the things my friends are allowed to do, which is why I can't really hang out with them anymore. Because they go to clubs and places where I'm not allowed to go. And when I want to make new friends mum just hates them based on principle. And just because she was right this one time with Jack and the others doesn't mean that she's always right. But when I try to explain my point of view to her she just won't listen. And when she seems really interested for once and promises to listen to me then she gets called back to work. It just sucks."

Wow. When that girl starts talking she talks. She would be the dream of every therapist. Unfortunately Sara wasn't a therapist. She was miles away from being something even close to a therapist. So what now?

Lindsey was looking at her with big, hopeful eyes, waiting for an answer. Too bad she didn't have one. Even if she – by some miracle- could come up with some sort of advice she would have another problem soon. The moment Catherine learned that she, Sara Sidle, was messing with her way of raising her daughter, the bruises she had right now would be her smallest problem. But then there was Lindsey: A confused teenager who had to go through so much already. Eddie's death was hard on her. And when it came to murdered fathers Sara had first hand experience. She also knew how mean your classmates can be. The only thing she didn't know was what to say. She closed her eyes and tried to think. Was there something like a magical solution to all of Lindsey's problems?

A few minutes of silence passed before Sara suddenly said, "Write a letter." Sara remembered a book she read when she was a child. One of the characters in it had similar problems and wrote a letter to her father. They lived happily ever after. Of course this didn't mean that it would work out for the Willows but it was worth a try.

"What?" Lindsey looked confused.

"Write everything you just told me down in a letter. Maybe a little bit more detailed. Just write everything down that is bothering you. Everything. That you think she doesn't have enough time. That she doesn't listen. All that. And don't be afraid. Then give her the letter and tell her to read it and that you'd like to talk about everything when she read it – like adults. Ask her to switch her phone off when you talk and talk on neutral territory – maybe a park or Lake Mead."

Lindsey looked at her with wide eyes.

Sara frowned. "Bad idea?"

A broad smile appeared on the girl's face. "No. Thanks! I think it's a great idea."

Sara couldn't help but smile back. Maybe she wasn't so hopeless after all. They finished their drinks and headed back to Sara's car. Next stop: Willows residence.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Now it's time to bring Catherine into the story. How will she react???  
It's a rather short chapter, but I just had to stop where I stopped :-)_

_I'll be gone for the next week :-( But I try to post the last chapter next weekend._

_Again a big THANK YOU to all the readers and a special THANK YOU to those who left me a review. It's always intresting to know what you guys think, since I'm mainly writing for you!_

_And now I'm off to my business trip. _

_~Stormy_

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**Chapter 3**

They sat in the driveway for good five minutes. "Lindsey, sooner or later you have to go in."

"She'll be mad."

"Probably, but she'll also be glad that you are okay."

Lindsey thought for a moment. Then a grin appeared on her face. "You know what? She will be a lot gladder when she sees what you look like."

Sara couldn't help but chuckle. "You are definitely your mother's daughter. Very calculating."

Lindsey smiled back at her. "So you are coming in with me?" She was worried. She would feel a lot better when Sara came in with her.

Sara nodded. "Fine, but can you do me a favour and not tell Catherine about me giving you any advice on how to talk with each other? Can you just tell her that the letter – if you write it – was your idea?"

Lindsey eyed her for a moment. "You are really as afraid of her as I am, aren't you?"

Sara just shrugged. "Come on. Let's get the party started." She had her hand on the door handle, when the teenager stopped her. "Wait!"

The brunette rolled her eyes and turned back. Slowly she was getting impatient, but before she knew it she had a mini-Catherine hugging her tightly. "Thanks, Sara. For everything. I think you are really cool – for an adult." Again Sara tried to ignore the pain the embrace caused.

"Thank you … I guess." They smiled at each other and got out of the car.

Lindsey unlocked the front door and they both entered the house. "Mum?"

"I'm in the living room." Catherine's voice echoed through the house.

Lindsey turned to Sara for a last bit of reassurance. The brunette nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. That was all she needed. She took Sara by the hand and let her in the living room. "Hi, Mum."

"Hey Lindsey, how was …" Catherine stopped after she looked up from her book and spotted Sara standing in her living room. Sara Sidle in her house holding her daughter's hand would have been strange enough, but Sara Sidle with a swollen black eye holding her daughter's hand in her living room was definitely something to worry about. "What the hell happened?!" She jumped up from the couch and was immediately by their sides.

First she turned to her daughter concerned. "Are you okay?" Without warning Lindsey threw herself in her mother's arms. "Yeah, thanks to Sara I am."

Catherine frowned. What did that mean? Instinctively she hugged Lindsey back, meanwhile glancing up at Sara, silently asking for an explanation. The brunette just shrugged. "Not my story to tell. Linds will tell you what has happened. I'm just … let's say, moral support." She winked at Lindsey who smiled back at her.

Catherine raised an eyebrow. What the hell was going on here? What did Sara have to do with her daughter?

"Come on, Mum, let's sit down. This might take a while."

The three women made their way over to the couch and Lindsey began to recall what happened.

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"You didn't call the police and instead of calling me immediately you take her out for a drink?!" Sara winced at Catherine's harsh tone. She knew this was coming. Normally she was used to the blonde yelling at her – but right now her head felt ready to explode.

Catherine had been listening to Lindsey's story silently. She had been too shocked to react, but once her daughter was finished her anger took over. Not even the girl's vivid recall of events in which Sara sounded like Super Woman were helping. Sara was her primary target. "I can't believe you did that, Sara! You are a CSI. You should know better than to let them get away." Then she turned to Lindsey. "And you, young Lady, I can't believe you met them even if I forbade it!"

Before Sara could come up with something to defend herself, Lindsey had jumped up from the couch and was shouting back at her mother. "I knew you would be like that! Sara actually tried to convince me that you would be happy that I was okay instead of yelling at me. I knew you wouldn't!" She glared at Catherine. "And stop yelling at Sara. She did nothing wrong. She risked her life for me. And despite the fact that she is the one who got hurt she was – on the contrary to you – listening to my reasons for why I don't want to call the police! You didn't even ask for them!"

Sara wished she could vanish. All that yelling was increasing her headache and she felt like she had absolutely no right to be here. This was between Catherine and Lindsey. She wanted to say something but she doubted that Catherine would allow her to.

Catherine was stunned by her daughter's outburst – too stunned to prevent her from storming out of the room, up the stairs, and into her room. She contemplated yelling after her, but knew that it would be pointless anyway. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She had a right to be mad. If Lindsey had listened to her in the first place all this would have never happened. Suddenly the blonde remembered that she wasn't alone in the room.

Sara was still sitting on the couch, wishing that the earth would open up and swallow her. She was very aware of the fact that she was alone with Catherine – a very angry Catherine. With Lindsey gone Sara was sure that she would get quite speech now. She hung her head, preparing for the verbal assault. She didn't even realize her hands had started to shake. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was a little girl again, waiting to be punished by her mother.

Catherine eyed Sara for a long moment. She wanted to yell at her, but Lindsey's words slowly started to sink in. Sara had saved her daughter's life and risked her own without hesitation. She took in the bruised cheek, the black eye, Sara's whole appearance. The younger woman looked scared. Scared of Catherine? Her anger was replaced by guilt. "Sara, I'm sorry. It's just…" She had no idea what to say right now. She knew that the brunette only wanted to help.

Sara looked up upon hearing the word 'sorry' and saw that Catherine was struggling to find the right words. The bruised CSI wanted nothing but out of the house right now. She was not ready for this conversation. She had no problem with being yelled at, but a conversation that started with 'I'm sorry' was usually complicated. "It's okay. Don't worry. You know what? I'm gonna leave now. You go talk to Linds. She really needs you now and when you have decided to press charges just call me and I give my testimony."

Thrown off balance once again, Catherine hardly had time to react before Sara was stumbling towards the front door. "Sara, you are in no condition to drive." She hurried after her and caught up with her at the door.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Just take care of Lindsey, okay?" With that she was out of the house.

Again Catherine didn't know what to do. She wanted to hurry after Sara and talk to her. But she also knew that the brunette was right and Lindsey needed her right now – even if she doubted that her daughter would admit that. Finally the mother in her won and she watched Sara drive away, silently praying that she would make it home without an accident.

Sara could take care of herself. Lindsey was her first priority. She closed the front door and slowly walked up the stairs to her daughter's room. Loud music was blasting through the walls. Yep,Linds was angry…


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey guys! Here's the last chapter. I know it was a short story, but don't have much time to write at the moment.  
Big THX to all you readers and reviewers!_

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**Chapter 4**

Catherine sighed and put down the receiver for the fifth time today. She just couldn't get in touch with Sara. All she wanted to do was to thank Sara and to apologize. She knew that she hadn't been fair to the brunette when she had brought Lindsey home. Her mother instincts had kicked in and the only things she could think about was the fact that her baby girl had been in danger and that Sara had let the bastards get away.

Warrick had tried to reassure her that she had reacted like any other mother would have but somehow she couldn't get rid off the mental images of Lindsey yelling at her and Sara more or less escaping from the house. She had screwed up that afternoon. And now she had to repair the damage.

The conversation Catherine had with Lindsey right after Sara left was a lot more constructive than she had expected. It required some work to convince her daughter to unlock the door to her room, but when she finally did they were able to talk. The first thing Catherine did was apologize. She tried to explain why she reacted the way she did – and to her it seemed like Lindsey kind of understood it.

She was even able to convince the girl that they had to call the police and press charges. After a long discussion Lindsey finally agreed that her 'friends' would not just leave her alone after what had happened. That was when she had called Brass and explained the situation to him. He promised he would take care of everything and that he would personally visit them later to take Lindsey's statement.

Catherine had first realized how shaken her daughter was by the events when they decided to watch a movie together. They hadn't done that in ages and they certainly hadn't cuddled in ages either, but that afternoon Lindsey didn't want to let go of her mother. Catherine's suggestion to take the night off and stay with her was also welcomed.

Brass and Greg who was the CSI on the case had dropped by later that day to take Lindsey's statement. Catherine had learned from them that Sara was fine. According to them they had dragged the brunette to the closest hospital to get her checked out by a doctor. She was lucky. Nothing broken. No concussion. But she had to take it easy for the next three days – and that meant no work. Catherine had no trouble imagining Sara's complaints about this. Brass told her he had threatened to cuff Sara to her bed if she wouldn't comply with the doctor's order. That seemed to have done the trick.

When Brass and Greg had left again and Lindsey had gone to bed Catherine contemplated calling Sara, but finally decided against it. The brunette was most likely asleep and the last thing she wanted to do was interrupt her well deserved rest. So she had postponed her much needed apology to tomorrow.

And here she was, trying to get Sara on the phone – with no luck so far. That could mean two things. Either Sara was resting like the doctor ordered or she was just not picking up when Catherine was calling. Well, at least no one could accuse her of not trying!

Despite not being able to reach Sara Catherine was in a good mood. Brass had called her earlier to tell her that all five teenagers were under arrest and had already given full confessions. That meant they would get what they deserved. She could only hope that there wouldn't be any more trouble for Lindsey in the future.

Catherine thought about dialling Sara's number again, but finally decided against it. Maybe Sara being Sara needed some time to herself before she would accept her apology. There really was no point in pressuring her. She knew it wouldn't get her anywhere with the brunette. She would talk to her when she was back at work. Like that Sara had two more days to herself – and at work she couldn't hide.

Satisfied with her plan she put the phone away and poured herself another cup of coffee.

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It had been three days since Sara had saved Lindsey from those teenagers – three very boring days. After Brass and Greg had brought her to the hospital the lovely doctor had decided that she needed rest. Sara tried everything to convince him that she was fine – but in the end she wasn't allowed to work for three days. And for Sara three days were a small eternity.

To her own surprise she slept through most of the first day. Maybe the blow to her head was harder than the she had first expected. But day two and day three were nothing but boring. At least Greg had dropped by for a little while each day to keep her company and cheer her up.

Fortunately for her Catherine had stopped calling after day one. She really hadn't felt like talking to the blonde – she still didn't feel like it. But she knew that she probably couldn't avoid her tonight at work. Sara hoped that her older co-worker was still peaceful. After all, chances were good that she just wanted to thank her for saving Lindsey.

But then again she also made the mistake of giving Lindsey advice about her relationship with her mother – and that could get her into real trouble when Catherine found out. She could only hope that the girl would keep quiet about the origin of the letter idea. Or better yet, never write such a letter. The more Sara thought about the idea the less she liked it. She was not good at relationships of any kind so why did she have to give Lindsey advice in the first place? Unfortunately it was too late to change that. Sara really hoped that the things between Lindsey and Catherine would somehow work out and that she hadn't made it worse.

Sara glanced at her watch. Still five hours until the start of shift. Maybe she should go in early. It was not like she had anything else to do. She could grab a bite to eat on her way to work.

She was just about to change into her work clothes when she heard a knock on the door. Who the hell would visit her? At this time of the day her normal visitors – salesmen – weren't working anymore. Curiously she went to the door and looked through the peephole. Catherine …

Sara panicked. That couldn't be good. If the blonde had wanted to thank her she could have waited until they were both at work. It was more likely that her great letter plan backfired and now she would get her punishment for getting involved in Catherine's and Lindsey's lives. But there was really no way to escape the consequences, was there? Maybe it was better to get it over with. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down again and opened the door. "Hey Catherine, what brings you here?" She asked as casually as possible.

To Sara's surprise the blonde didn't look angry – she was actually smiling. "Hey Sara, can I come in?"

Sara opened the door further and stepped aside to let her enter. "Sure." When Catherine entered her apartment she noticed the bag she was carrying. The brunette closed the door and followed Catherine in the living room, curious about what her co-worker really wanted.

"I brought food." Catherine announced. "You didn't eat already, did you?"

Sara looked at her like she had grown a second head. What the hell was going on here? Where was the hidden camera? "What if I already ate?" She asked carefully.

Catherine let her eyes wander up and down Sara's body before settling on her face again. "Actually, I figured you would decide to go in early today because you were bored out of your mind and might just grab something to eat on your way."

Sara stared at her, mouth wide open. How the hell did she know that?

The blonde just smirked at her and shrugged her shoulders. "You are just a hopeless, predictable workaholic." Her tone was light, so Sara knew she was just teasing. "I brought vegetarian lasagna, so you better get plates out if you don't want the food to get cold."

Sara thought about telling her not to command her around in her own apartment, but figured it would be pointless anyway. Still curious – but less worried - about the visit she walked into the kitchen and got plates as well as two glasses and a bottle of water.

They made small talk during their meal and Sara really enjoyed it. But after they had both finished their meal she couldn't hold it any longer. "Catherine, why are you here?"

The older woman smiled. She knew Sara wouldn't just accept this as a friendly dinner. "I'm here to thank you."

_Here we go_, Sara thought. "For what?"

"For helping Lindsey."

Sara shrugged. "There's no need. You already did that when I brought her home." She really didn't want to have this conversation here. Somehow she felt vulnerable right now. She would have preferred to have this conversation in the lab.

Catherine raised an eyebrow at the answer. "No, Sara, I didn't. I actually yelled at you when you brought her home. You did practically run out of my house before I had a chance to get to the apologizing and thanking part of my little speech. I'm sure you haven't forgotten that." She still felt guilty for how she had treated the brunette.

Sara sighed. She certainly hadn't forgotten what had happened at Catherine's place but she thought that her co-worker had had a right to be mad back then. "You did what every caring mother would have done. It's fine, Catherine. Don't worry about it."

"But I do worry." Sara was about to protest, but Catherine held up a hand to stop her. "I just wanted to apologize for the way I treated you. I was out of line and I really hope you will accept my apology."

Sara thought about telling her once more that an apology wasn't necessary but then she decided against it. If Catherine felt she needed to do this she would do her the favour. "Of course I accept." She gave the blonde a small smile.

Catherine returned the smile relieved. "Good. And then I want to thank you again. You saved Lindsey from whatever they would have done to her. I'll never forget that. I owe you." Her voice was filled with emotion. She wanted Sara to know that she meant what she had just said. That this was more than just empty words.

Sara looked down, slightly embarrassed. She hated it to be praised like that. "You're welcome." Came her mumbled reply.

Catherine smiled at Sara's behaviour. This was typical Sara. Shortly she thought about 'torturing' the brunette a little bit longer, but finally decided to give her a break and change the topic. "I'm glad this is settled. But there is something else I have to thank you for."

This caught Sara's attention and she looked back up. She looked expectantly at the blonde.

Catherine leaned back on the couch, smiling inwardly. Sara's reaction to what she was about to say would be interesting. "Well, Lindsey wrote me a ten page long letter about how she feels and what she wants to change in our relationship."

Sara winced. Didn't Lindsey promise to keep her out of this whole letter business? She really didn't want to get involved in this. Maybe she could talk her way out of it by just playing dumb. "And this is something good?"

The blonde nodded, smiling. "Yeah, because it helped me realize a lot of things."

"That's great, Catherine. So, we are here to celebrate that?"

Catherine couldn't help but chuckle. "No, we are not. As I said, I wanted to thank you. You know, I asked her what prompted her to write the letter and she said that the idea just popped into her mind and – sorry about that – but my daughter is an awful liar."

Sara agreed silently. The girl definitely was a bad liar.

"I know that she wouldn't come up with something like that on her own. Actually I think she would have been too angry herself, but since your little stunt she has changed. So I came to the conclusion that you might have talked to her. And considering that Lindsey lied to me about it, you probably asked her not to tell me. Maybe you were afraid that I wouldn't welcome you giving advice to my daughter about the way she should communicate with me."

Sara bit the inside of her cheek. Damn CSI!

"But you know what? If you were not the one who planted that idea in her head – which I really think is a great idea – then I just want to thank you for somehow making Lindsey realize … something … when you saved her from those gangsters."

Now Sara just smiled. "I think I stick with the latter."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "You are as stubborn as Lindsey."

Sara shrugged. "That's me."

"Actually I think there is more to you…" The blonde CSI said mysteriously.

"No, I'm just stubborn. Nothing more."

Catherine shook her head, pointing her index finger at Sara. "No, Sidle, don't even try to talk yourself out of this. There has to be more to you. After all you tamed my daughter. And you know what? I'm going to figure you out … starting today."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "What exactly does that mean?"

Catherine smirked. "That means that we now have a nice chat until we go to work and in the morning we continue over a nice breakfast, your treat."

Sara was about to protest, when the blonde looked at her with puppy dog eyes. When she saw Catherine pouting she couldn't help but break out into laughter. "Now I know where Linds has that look from."

Catherine joined in and they spent a nice evening together.

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_A/N: I know, there was room for a lot more drama in this story but somehow the words refused to come out. My first version was even shorter and Catherine didn't even get angry :-). You have to thank my beta Emily for that!!!!! I certainly have to thank her. I really don't know what I would do without you, Emily!_

_Maybe I get a last finaly review, dear reader???? ;-) _

_Take care and thank you for reading!_

_~Stormy_


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